Observation Deck: 3-D Simulation Technology Creates a New Kind of Map

Maps don’t have to be big, folded pieces of paper — or even the GPS-enabled windows our phones now become. Maps are, essentially, infographics, designed to convey some set of data of or pertaining to geography. But with digital information, they can become even more. Maps used to balance precision versus accuracy — too much data made them unreadable, but too little data made them unusable. Now, though, an experimental 3-D simulation technology is turning out to be a new kind of map. The more data users load in, the more useful it becomes; the map and the world it describes are becoming more and more alike.